Composing machines for printing types



COMPOSING MACHINES FOR PRINTING TYPES Filed Jan. 5, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet2 DANIELE MEA/[A f Blah ATTORNEY April 11, 1967 D. MENTA COMPOSINGMACHINES FOR PRINTING TYPES Filed Jan. 5, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYUnited States Patent Patented Apr. 11, 1967 3,313,403 COP/PGSINGREACHENES F8 PRINTING TYPES Daniele Manta, 16 Via Cesare Ealbo, Milan,itaiy Filed Zlan. 3, 1966, See. No. 518,445 Clm'ms. (Cl. 19918) Thisinvention relates to improvements in, and to composing machines forprinting type, or better said for lines of impression. The machines withwhich the invention is concerned are usually called Linotypes.

Such machines substantially comprise a keyboard by which, through a rodtransmission, matrices are released. Such matrices are caused to slideby gravity along suitable grooves, and then are conveyed by a beltconveyor and a rotary star, to a collecting and lining-up station,twherefrom they are transferred by guides and lifting and loweringdevices, to a station, where the casting of type line is performed.Finally, said matrices are brought, by a lifting system of the swingingarm type, and a mechanical selector, back to their cases, wherefrom theyare taken again by means of the abovestated keyboard and rods, whenrequired.

In the conventional machines, the sliding grooves, the band conveyor forthe matrices and the rotary star, are fitted on the front side ofmachine, directly above the keyboard, and in front of rods by which thematrices are released. The sliding grooves and the belt conveyor arefitted between two plates, or fiat structural elements, that are securedto the frame of machine, whereby the releasing rods, controlled by thekeyboard, are covered by such elements. Said releasing rods represent,in their whole, one of the most easily pertunbed mechanism of themachine, whereby they require an accurate maintenance and upkeep.However, such operations are made difiicult and time-consuming by thepresence of the front elements, which prevent the rods from being easilyaccessible.

It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to avoid theabove disadvantages.

The above drawbacks are obviated by this invention, by the provision ofa machine of the above-stated type, which is essentially characterizedin that the assembly consisting of the two cover plates, the groovesinterposed therebetween and the belt conveyor, is pivotally connectedwith the machine top, and in that the belt conveyor is driven by amechanical transmission, that is automatically engaged and disengaged asfunction of the position taken by the assembly, and finally in that apreferably hydraulic damper is provided to slow-down the downward motionof the above defined assembly.

The invention will be better understood from a consideration of thefollowing description, taken with the accompanying drawing, being bothdescription and drawing given as a not restrictive example only. In samedrawing:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a composing machine, wherein the assembly bywhich the rods are controlled is in its operatin position, i.e. beforethe rods.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a detail of same machine, with saidassembly slightly lifted from its operative position, and with the frontplate partly lifted from the grooves, that are normally covered by it.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 2, however with thecontrol assembly wholly lifted.

Referring now to said figures, the composing machine is comprisive of anassembly of devices, that are fitted on the front side thereof, above aconventional keyboard, and by which the matrice releasing rods arecovered.

Said assembly consists of a bottom plate 2a, carrying the grooves 3,wherein the matrices fall, and a band conveyor 4, with the relatedreturn pulleys 5, (together with the required supporting and drivingdevices) by which the matrices are conveyed, through a settling star(not shown), to a lining-up station (also not shown). Placed before saidbottom plate 2a is a further plate 7, by which the grooves 3 and a partof band 4 are covered, and that comprises a transparent sheet 8, whichmay consist of a slightly bent, transparent plastic sheet. Theabove-described assembly is pivotal-1y fitted on a common shaft 9,whereby it can be swung upwardly to the lifted position as shown in theFIG. 3, wherein the operator can have free access to the rods 2 which,as already stated, cause the matrices, corresponding to keys depressedby the operator, to fall into the grooves.

The assembly is retained in its lifted position by a latch 10, whichwill be described in more detail later, and is kept in its downposition-i.e. in its operating position by two hooks 11, that aredesigned to cooperate with a bar 12a, which forms part of the machineframe, and that can be disengaged therefrom by acting on a handle 12.

Indirectly connected with 14 is a damper 13, whose opposite end ishinged to any suitable point of machine frame 12, as e.g. 1-5, and bywhich the bottom plate 2a is acted upon, in order to cause a smooth andslow down motion of the above-stated assembly.

In more detail, the upper plate 7, by which the drop grooves arecovered, can be swung round the common shaft 9, independently from theother plate 2a, and can be retained in its lifted position (see FIG. 2)by the same latch 10, that serves also to keep the whole assembly in itslifted position, as shown in the FIG. 3.

Formed on the front side of bottom plate 2a, is a series of grooves 3extending in a substantially vertical direction, and having lengthswhich decrease from the left to the right, such grooves beingdelimitated on one side by plate in, on two further sides by parallellaths 16, that are fastened in any known, suitable manner, to sameplate, and on the fourth side by the top plate 7.

The matrices that fall down the grooves 3 come into contact with thelength of belt conveyor 4 that runs over a slanting wall 17, which islocated below the lower ends of grooves 3, and is secured to the plate2a.

The band conveyor runs around the two return pulleys, that are loosefitted on supports (not shown), with which the plate 1 is provided. Theshaft 18 of lower pulley 5 extends through the plate 2a and carries,keyed on its outer end, a gear 22 and a further pulley 19, that isdriven, through a belt transmission 26, by a driving pulley 21, which isalso loose fitted on said bottom plate. A helical toothed crown gear 23,that is formed on the bottom of cup-shaped driving pulley 21, isdesigned to cooperate, when the plate 2:: is in its down position, withan also helical toothed face gear 24 which drive is derived, in anyknown suitable manner, from any driven component of the composingmachine.

In mesh with said gear 22. is the first gear of a gear train 25, throughwhich the rotary star is driven. The matrices delivered by the bandconveyor 4- are received by such star, and then transferred in theproper sequence, to lining-up station. Said settling star is alreadywell known, and in the considered example is supported on the outer faceof bottom plate 2.

The bottom plate 2a, along with the different components fitted thereto,is swingingly fitted on the stationary shaft 9, which is in turnsupported by the outer ends of a pair of arms 38, that are secured inany known, suitable manner, to the machine frame.

Secured by screws to lower side of bottom plate 211 are two armscarrying the bushes 32 at their outer ends, said bushes being engagedwith the shaft 9.

The one of said two arms (i.e. that indicated by the numeral 31a) iscrosswise recessed as in 31a for the purpose which will be hereinafterstated, whereby a wedgeshaped cross-section, having its vertex directedto the right side of the operator, is given to recessed portion of saidarm.

Also hinged to the shaft 9 is the upper plate 7, by which the downfallgrooves 3 and the inclined plate whereon the band conveyor 4 is running,are covered. Said plate is supported by the shaft 9 by means of a pairof arms as, having a circular or triangular cross-section, and its topis connected, in any known, suitable manner, with the transparent sheet8.

Moreover, a fork 36 is cantilever supported by the bottom plate in. Oneend of the piston rod 37 of hydraulic damper 13 is pivotally connected(as in 14) with a pin, extending between the arms of said fork 35, beingthe opposite end of said damper hinged to a stirrup (as in 15), that iscantilever supported by the frame of the machine.

Secured to a support (the right one in the drawings) of the shaft 9 is alatch 16, that consists of a bolt 38, that is slidingly fitted againstthe action of return springs (not shown), and having one end suitablybeveled, while a grip 39 is carried by its opposite end. Same latch ispositioned in such a manner that it can be automatically shifted,against the action of its return spring, by the right arm 34, by whichthe cover plate 7 is supported, thereby coming into engagement with thetransverse recess 33 of the right arm 31a, by which the bottom plate 20,is supported, and that provides for the further shifting, when saidplate is lifted. In the wholly lifted position of same plate, a trippingof same bolt under the two above mentioned arms occur, whereby the wholeassembly is retained in its lifted position. When the assembly is to bebrought down, the bolt is brought back by the ope:- ator, acting on itsgrip, thereby disengaging it from the arms of both plates.

To have the bottom plate 2a rigidly connected with the machine framewhen the assembly is in its operating posi tion, two fork-shapedsupports 41 are secured to bottom side of the same plate. Each one ofsaid supports is revolvingly fitted in a square-shaped hooking-updevice, that is designed to get engaged with the bar 12a, which forms apart of the stationary frame of machine. A control revolving shaft 50,laid on the supports 44, and carrying a grip 12b on one of their bentends, is provided for turning, and thus disengaging said hooking-updevices. Said shaft is formed with cam tracks, by which said devices areacted upon whereby, when it is operated, the hooking-up devices areturned, and thus disengaged.

In more detail, the hooking-up devices 11 are L-shaped (see FIG. 3),having a hook extension formed at the end of one of their arms. Acompression spring 43, that is interposed between the stirrup support 44and said arm of L-shaped element, tends to maintain the hook end intoengagement with the bar 12a.

Due to the above described arrangement, the operator is enabled todisengage the bottom plate 7 from the bar 12a, by acting on the grip12b, whereafter same plate can be swung round the rotation shaft 9. Atthe end of said upward motion, the latch bolt is firstly shifted overthe arm 34, by which the cover plate 7 is supported, becoming engagedwith the recess 33 of element 31a, beneath it, whereby the wholeassembly is retained in its lifted position.

Then the assembly is to be brought down to its operating position, itwill be sufiicient, for the operator, to pull the latch grip 39 to theright, whereby the assembly is brought down, to its operating positionin a wholly automatic manner, the downward motion being slowed down andcontrolled by the damper. In said operating position, the hooking-updevices are automatically engaged with the bar 12a, and the two helicalgears 23, 24 are brought into mesh with each other. As shown in the FIG.2, the upper wall or plate 7 can be moved independently from the bottomplate 20, and can be retained in such a position by the latch.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to one,now referred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art, after understanding the invention, that various changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the true spirit andscope thereof, and is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes andmodifications in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a composing machine having a keyboard and a plurality of rodsselectively actuated by said keyboard for releasing selected matrices,swingable means having an operating position situated in front of saidrods and including a pair of plates between which a grooved structure issituated for guiding the released matrices for movement between saidplates, said swingable means also including between said plates a rotarybelt means, transmission means for driving said rotary belt means andincluding motion-transmitting components one of which is carried by saidswingable means and the other of which is carried by said machine at alocation which is situated beyond said rods so that said other componentof said transmission means does not preventaccess to said rods, saidcomponents of said transmission means being in operative drivingengagement with each other when said swingable means is in saidoperating position thereof, and a stationary shaft operatively connectedwith said swingable means to support the latter for swinging movementaway from said operating position to a location giving free access tosaid rods and back to said operating position situated in front of saidrods, said components of said transmission means automatically resumingtheir operative driving engagement with each other upon return of saidswingable means to said operating position thereof.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein both of said plates areindependently turnable on said stationary shaft, said shaft beinghorizontal and said swingable means extending downwardly from said shaftwhen in its operating position and being turned upwardly away from saidoperating position to said location giving access to said rods, andreleasable latch means coacting with said swingable means for releasablyretaining the latter at said location, whereby upon release of saidlatch means said swingable means will by gravity swing automaticallyback down to its operating position.

3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein a damping means coacts withsaid swingable means for retarding the downward movement thereof back tosaid operating position.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said plates include a lowerplate and an upper plate, and said lower plate carrying said groovedstructure and said rotary belt means as well as that component of saidtransmission means which is connected with said swingable means.

5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein said latch means isselectively operable with said upper plate, independently of said lowerplate, to give access to the structure carried by said lower plate whensaid upper plate only is turned about said shaft upwardly away from saidoperating position to said location.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 924,939 6/1909Rogers 199-19 1,149,672 8/1915 Muehleisen 199-21 1,288,913 12/1918Kennedy 19919 2,307,072 1/1943 Plastaras 199-11 ROBERT E. PULFREY,Primary Examiner.

W. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A COMPOSING MACHINE HAVING A KEYBOARD AND A PLURALITY OF RODSSELECTIVELY ACTUATED BY SAID KEYBOARD FOR RELEASING SELECTED MATRICES,SWINGABLE MEANS HAVING AN OPERATING POSITION SITUATED IN FRONT OF SAIDRODS AND INCLUDING A PAIR OF PLATES BETWEEN WHICH A GROOVED STRUCTURE ISSITUATED FOR GUIDING THE RELEASED MATRICES FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAIDPLATES, SAID SWINGABLE MEANS ALSO INCLUDING BETWEEN SAID PLATES A ROTARYBELT MEANS, TRANSMISSION MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID ROTARY BELT MEANS ANDINCLUDING MOTION-TRANSMITTING COMPONENTS ONE OF WHICH IS CARRIED BY SAIDSWINGABLE MEANS AND THE OTHER OF WHICH IS CARRIED BY SAID MACHINE AT ALOCATION WHICH IS SITUATED BEYOND SAID RODS SO THAT SAID OTHER COMPONENTOF SAID TRANSMISSION MEANS DOES NOT PREVENT ACCESS TO SAID RODS, SAIDCOMPONENTS OF SAID TRANSMISSION MEANS BEING IN OP-